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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. track — a song
  3. row — a line
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. cue — a signal
  8. sharp — clever
  9. field — farmland
  10. cue — for pool
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. cue — a hint
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. tube — the underground
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. field — a subject
  19. track — a path
  20. row — to paddle
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. track — to keep track
  24. field — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com